Jay T. Last Collection of Fairs and Expositions Prints and Ephemera: Finding Aid

Series I. Fairs and Expositions Prints and Ephemera (small size) approximately 1850-1939 (bulk approximately 1876-1893)

Physical Description: approximately 1,865 items in 17 binders and 2 flat-top boxes

Scope and Content

This series contains approximately 1,865 small-size printed items that pertain to fairs and expositions in the United States from approximately 1850 to 1939, with the bulk of materials dating from the late 1800s. The materials consist of advertising and promotional ephemera, illustrations, and business records related to fairs, exhibitions, and expositions; exhibitors at these events; and related businesses. Common item types include trade cards, calendars, booklets, programs, tickets, leaflets, guides, postcards and stationery, catalogs, and printed billheads and letterheads with manuscript text.

The materials in this series either promote or are broadly connected to fair and exhibition-related products, services, or sponsoring businesses. Many of the images depict fair and exposition buildings, though the collection also has a wide variety of other images, including people, local transit, agriculture and livestock, and depictions of various products being advertised by exhibitors and vendors.

Arrangement

This series is grouped into 3 subseries:

Subseries A. General Fairs and Expositions, 1850-1939 (small size)
Subseries B. U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876 (small size)
Subseries C. World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 (small size)

Items smaller than 8 x 10 inches are housed in binders, while items that are between 8 x 10 inches and 11 x 14 inches in size are individually sleeved and arranged in folders in one box. A second box houses pocket souvenir albums.

Subseries A. General Fairs and Expositions (small size) 1850-1939

Binder 1

General Fairs and Expositions, 1850-1893 (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 50 items

Binder 17

General Fairs and Expositions, 1894-1939 (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 160 items

Box 2 , Folder 1

General Fairs and Expositions, 1850-1893 (between 8 x 10 inches and 11 x 14 inches in size)

Physical Description: approximately 10 items

Subseries B. U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876 (small size) approximately 1876

Binder 2

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Catalogs, guides, and programs (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 40 items

Binder 3

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Exhibitors, A-E by company (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 130 items

Binder 4

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Exhibitors, F-L by company (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 120 items

Binder 5

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Exhibitors, M-S by company (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 135 items

Binder 6

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Exhibitors, T-Z by company (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 120 items

Binder 7

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Stationery (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 60 items

Binder 8

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Stereograph cards, by company (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 60 items

Binder 9

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Stereograph cards, by company (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 50 items

Binder 10

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Tickets, passes, invitations, and souvenirs (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 125 items

Binder 11

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Trade cards (buildings), lithographed (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 275 items

Binder 12

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Trade cards (buildings), electrotype and engraved (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 120 items

Binder 13

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Trade cards (Mascieri exhibits) (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 55 items

Scope and Content Note

Trade cards accompanied by interpretive text written by Russ Mascieri and Terry Snyder, and arranged into panel exhibits for annual conferences of the Trade Card Collectors Association in the early 1990s.

Binder 14

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Visitor services, dining, hotels, transport (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 95 items

Box 1

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876: Pocket albums (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: 28 items

Scope and Content Note

Pocket souvenir albums containing images of exhibition buildings and other miscellaneous views in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, produced in commemoration of the United States Centennial Exhibition in 1876. Covers and manuscript inscriptions vary between album copies.

American Centennial (Rand, McNally & Co., approximately 1876) – 1 copy
Centennial (Koch Sons & Co., approximately 1876) – 1 copy
Centennial Album (Centennial Album Co., ©1875) – 5 copies
Centennial Album (H. J. Toudy & Co., approximately 1876) – 1 copy
Centennial Exhibition and Philadelphia (approximately 1876) – 3 copies
Centennial Exhibition Philadelphia (Philip Frey & Co., approximately 1876) – 3 copies
Centennial Souvenir Philadelphia (Ostheimer Bros., approximately 1876) – 4 copies
Memorial of the International Exhibition at Philadelphia (Thos. Hunter, ©1876) – 10 copies

Box 2 , Folder 2

U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876 (between 8 x 10 inches and 11 x 14 inches in size)

Physical Description: approximately 25 items

Subseries C. World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 (small size) approximately 1893

Binder 15

World's Columbian Exposition of 1893: General (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 150 items

Binder 16

World's Columbian Exposition of 1893: Stationery (8 x 10 inches or smaller in size)

Physical Description: approximately 50 items

Box 2 , Folder 3

World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 (between 8 x 10 inches and 11 x 14 inches in size)

Physical Description: less than 5 items

Series II. Fairs and Expositions Prints and Ephemera (large size) 1834-1970 (bulk 1850-1893)

Physical Description: 97 items

Scope and Content

This series contains approximately 100 large-size printed items related to fairs and expositions in the United States from approximately 1834 to 1970, with the majority of items dating from 1850 to 1893. The series is comprised mainly of lithographed advertising prints produced for fairs, exhibitions and expositions; exhibitors at these events; and related businesses.

Genres represented include advertising prints, views of exhibition buildings, certificates, broadsides, and specialty newspapers and programs. The series contains color-printed, hand-colored, and uncolored images that range in size from approximately 11 x 14 inches to 35 x 46 inches.

Related Material

Items in the Huntington Library Historical Prints collection:

priHHC_FAIR_0000015 View of the nave and transept of the great exhibition building, Hyde Park. 20 August 1851 Artists: Walker, Edmund (Lithographer); Telbin, William, 1813-1873 Printers: Day & Son Publishers: Lloyd Brothers & Co. View online image.
priHHC_FAIR_0000016 Centennial America : presented with no. 11 of the Weekly Family Journal to all who have purchased the preceding numbers. ©1875 Printers: Armstrong & Co. (Boston, Mass.); Riverside Press (Cambridge, Mass.) Publishers: Thornton, Chester View online image.

Arrangement

This series is grouped into 3 subseries:

Subseries A. General Fairs and Expositions, 1834-1970 (large size)
Subseries B. U.S. Centennial Exhibition of 1876 (large size)
Subseries C. World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 (large size)

Within each subseries, items are arranged numerically by call number and described in the following format:

Title of print. Date
Artist(s) (when known). Printer(s). Publisher(s).

Subseries A. Fairs and Expositions (large size) 1834-1970

priJLC_FAIR_001683

The jumping horse carry-us-all a perfect pleasure producer. 1898-1937

Collection Contents